Tirukural – Chapter 88
Chapter 88: Understanding the Nature of Enmity
Verse 876
A householder is sitting on the ground holding the head of his dying wife. Behind him, his house is burning and in front of him he is being threatened by two mischievous men with clubs. Despite all these troubles, his close friend remains in support, calmly sitting near.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 871
So accursed is the thing called hatred that one
should never wish for it–even in jest.
Verse 872
It is bad enough to incur the enmity of those who live by the bow,
but never provoke the hatred of those who sow and reap with words.
Verse 873
One man who, all by himself, arouses hatred in many
is crazier than any lunatic.
Verse 874
The world abides beneath the greatness
of noble-natured rulers who befriend even their enemies.
Verse 875
Finding that he faces two foes and has no allies,
a lone man lures one to side with him.
Verse 876
When distress dawns, neither draw near nor depart from
new friends and foes–rather, leave them alone.
Verse 877
Never tell your troubles to those who cannot comprehend them,
nor expose your weaknesses to your enemies.
Verse 878
Engineer a plan, execute that plan well and ensure
your security–thus is the joy of rivals forever ruined.
Verse 879
Chop down a thorny tree while it is young.
Left to grow mature, it will one day cut the cutter’s hand.
Verse 880
Those who fail to quell a hostile rival’s pride
will be blown away by the mere fact that he still breathes.
Tiles Moved onto Iraivan Foundation
Aloha One and All,
Continuing with our progress on Iraivan Temple, a crane was recently brought into the monastery to lift tens of thousands of pounds of heavy granite tiles up from the ground onto the foundation in readiness for the August-October installation. The foundation is currently bare concrete, but when the lengthy and much more complex than you think process of fitting the stones is complete, there will be an elegant red granite floor where pilgrims will walk. We look forward to showing you (and seeing for ourselves) its completed form!
Aum Namah Sivaya
Happy Chitra Nakshatra!
Jai Gurudeva!
This morning our monks and local shishya celebrated the Chitra nakshatra with their monthly observance in Kadavul Temple. Sannyasin Tillainathaswami and Yogi Haranandinatha performed an abhiskekam at Gurudeva's shrine in Kadavul Temple, while other monks chanting Sri Rudram. Aum
"Devotees seek a satguru who teaches them to understand suffering, and brings them into the intentional hardships of sadhana and tapas leading to liberation from the cycles of experience in the realm of duality." - Gurudeva
On the Road Again!
Aum Namah Sivaya
Yesterday Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Sannyasin Shanmuganathaswami left for the airport to begin their short, 7-day journey to the mainland, US. This will be Satguru's first trip in over two years. Their main event will be attending the Mahakumbhaabhishekam at the Hindu Temple of St. Louis, May 15-17. Aum.
New quartzite walkway
Good mornafterevening, continuing the long tradition of replacing the old red concrete path around the monastery we replaced the old red concrete path by Bodhinatha's office with some brand new quartzite. Even though the process was very distressing for Mr. Path he was very happy to have it complete as he could finally fit in with his quartzite-laden friends. Additionally, if you were wondering, Quartzite is a hard, non-foliated metamorphic rock formed through tectonic compression of sandstone within orogenic belts. That definitely wasn't from wikipedia, monks are expert geologists by nature.
Aum!
The Intuitive Nature
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai's Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Sivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Siva. Here, Satguru discusses "The Seven Aspects of Man," based on a series of talks given in 1960.
Tirukural – Chapter 87
Chapter 87: The Merits of Enmity
Verse 863
Two villagers in the foreground observe two responses to a raging buffalo. A young boy, ignorant and unattentive, has been trampled by the beast since he did not leave the road. A wiser traveler has found refuge behind a tree and avoided harm.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 861
Rein in antagonism against the strong,
but unleash animosity against feeble adversaries.
Verse 862
How can an unloving man, with neither powerful allies
nor the strength to stand alone, overcome mighty enemies?
Verse 863
He who is fearful, ignorant, unfriendly and uncharitable
proves an easy prey to his enemies.
Verse 864
Letting go of his secrets but not his antipathy,
a man becomes easy prey to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Verse 865
Without character, conscience, piety and propriety,
a man may yet be delightful--to his enemies!
Verse 866
Even hatred can be a welcome thing, when it comes from
scoundrels seized by blind rage and indulgent lust.
Verse 867
Some men undertake a task, then undermine it unawares.
Acquire their hatred--indeed, pay good money for it.
Verse 868
If a man has no virtues and many vices, he will surely have
no allies, and this will be his enemies' surest advantage.
Verse 869
Finding that his foe is ignorant and afraid to fight,
the attacker's cheerfulness cannot forsake him.
Verse 870
Fame will flee the grasp of one who fails to grasp
the wealth of an enemy who is angry and unlearned.
Building a Bell Shrine
Jai Ganesha!
Over the last few weeks we've had a team working on an important creative project for future visitors to enjoy. A redwood shrine is being built for Iraivan Temple's granite bell. After completing the design we set about to create the form foundations and several days from now we will be pouring the concrete. After that it will just a little bit of fancy woodworking and viola! A place for pilgrims to summon the inner worlds through the evanescence of a gigantic masterpiece of granite. Aum.
Kauai Aadheenam’s Waterways
A short aerial video showing the water system running through Kauai's Hindu Monastery. The system is fed by a reservoir that receives its water from the Wailua River. The water from the reservoir then flows out to reach the monastery grounds. It winds through streams and ponds, supporting wildlife such as birds, crawdads, insects, thousands of fish and even freshwater turtles. Not to mention the many plants that thrive along the rivers edge. It is also utilizes in agricultural efforts. Our cows drink from it and we use it for growing papayas and watering crops in the garden as well as in our self-sustaining greenhouses.
New San Marga Gate
Aum Sivaya! You might want to reconsider reading today's post as it might be too powerful for mere mortals' minds. You have been warned! Today a fierce new fence and accompanying gate have been installed near the start of San Marga. With the new Iraivan Temple parking lot area now open to the public, this enchanted swamp green gate will keep the uninvited from gazing upon Iraivan's celestial glory. It took less than a day to construct this fence but its sturdy frame will allow it to resist our weather's potent power of dissolution. Hopefully soon these gates will open for you so that you might deliquesce in Iraivan's glory. Aum Aum Aum
From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
